Right to Collective Action

In South Korea, workers' strike is among the labour rights stipulated in and protected by the Constitution, which was enacted on 17 July 1948. Article 33 gives workers a constitutional right to independent association, collective bargaining and collective action. Until democratization in 1987, there was a wide gap between the statutes and the reality, as the state often obstructed or suppressed labour unions' legitimate strike action by police force and intelligence corps. Moreover, in 1972-73 the National Security Act banned strikes altogether and prolonged trhe dictatorship of president Park.